Mostly been a salt water guy....little experience with large mouth bass fishing.....need advice from the bass pros.

Will be fishing from shore. Lake is a rock pit...about a 100 years old....most areas have sharp drop offs and water is deep (30-40'+). Water is very clear with heavy weed growth (hydrilla verticillata?) from bottom of lake up to within several/few feet of surface. There is a grass mat surrounding the shore extending out about 8 feet. Some submerged timber but not much.

Will be fishing weigthless texas rigged 4" roboworms. Either co-poly line or light braid with leader. Thinking 8# range will do. Longer casting distance would be a plus. Need enough tip to set the (light wire?) hook. Need enough butt to skid fish over weed mat when close to shore.

Will be after largemouth. Lots of peacock bass but they don't like worms and haven't found good weedless artifical lure for them. Fish are moderate sized...call it 2-5# range. Could use advice on hooks too. Typical wide gap offset work hooks don't fit small worms well. Straight shank almost seems better. Ideal hook would stand up to hook set yet straighten out if snagged.

Please ask for more info if needed to narrow down best choices. Typically a bite is seen visually and I reel up most of the slack and set hook. A spin/jig "seems" a better choice. Extra fast tips require I reel down to the point the fish feels it before I can set the hook. Never fished a mag bass blank though....and in general little experience with fresh water blanks.....so don't read much into what I say.

Thanks in advance gents.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Are you going to be using a spinning reel or casting reel?

Most likely a spinning reel.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russell -

Couple suggestions on the terminal set up - 10# braid with a fluorocarbon leader. The braid will cut through hydrilla if you get a fish on in it. The fluoro will eliminate spooking the fish. 4-5' leader length. Hook - I'd go with a light wire, straight shank, snelled hook. The lighter leader wil also break off easy if you get hung in the rocks.

Blank -

I'd look at something like a SJ841- NG = [hydrafishing.com] or a Hydra OS-MB700ML = [hydrafishing.com] built in a spin configuration. A casting rig is going to require a well tuned reel to free spool off a 4" roboworm.

The combination of a good rod butt, braid, and light wire hook will give you plenty to have a solid hook set on a quick pop of the rod.

Hope it helps.

-Alex

Hydra Fishing, LLC

Online: [www.hydrafishing.com]
Facebook: [www.facebook.com]
Email: info@hydrafishing.com

Russ,
Check out the Batson line of blanks.

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Select the particular line of the batson rods blanks to get the quality that you want for a price you are willing to pay. Higher price means a lighter physical weight and potentially a bit more sensitivity.

I suspect that a 6'8" spinning blank is a medium light action is about the rod that would work well for this application. It may require a medium action, but if you are sight watching the medium light will give you a bit better feel as well as a bit more tip movement on a bite.

Be safe

Russ, my first question would be .... I hope you're planning on using the "fat" version of the 4.5" straight tail Roboworm? If not, unless you're using a hook with a twist lock to secure the nose of the worm, you're going to go through baits pretty quickly if you're Texas rigging. Simply because any hook stout enough to keep a 5 pound bass out of cover, is going to have an eye that will split the nose of the standard 4.5" straight tail from Roboworm.

As far as hooks go ....If you're looking for a straight shank hook, and I agree that a straight shank hook is a better choice for Texas rigging a worm, you may want to give Owner's standard straight shank worm hook in size 1 or 1/0 a look. I use that same hook in 1/0 for Texas rigging Roboworm 4.5" curly tail worms, and it works quite well. Although as I said earlier, it's tough on the nose of a thin worm like that.

Another possibility is the Owner, light wire twist lock hook. I've never used that particular hook, but that hook in a 1/0 would probably work pretty well. Or an Owner Wide Gap Plus hook in 1/0 is a great hook if you're looking for an EWG style hook. I use the Wide Gap Plus for probably 90% of my soft plastics fishing.

As far as rod power goes, considering the cover in the water that you mentioned, I'd go with at least medium power, and may actually lean towards medium heavy. Especially if you're going to be using spinning gear. You have to think that you're pulling the fish towards cover. Even a 2 lb bass can bury you up in thick cover when using stout bait casting gear. With the big disadvantage that spinning gear has when trying to ski a fish across the surface, you're going to need power to keep the fish's head up, or I think you'd be asking for lost fish.

As for line, I'm not a fan of braid myself, but the situation you're describing and the use of spinning gear, definitely calls for it. Personally I'd go with 20# braid for its larger diameter. The larger diameter will reduce the line cutting into itself on the spool, and it won't cost you casting distance. It will make it easier to tie on a leader as well. As far as leader strength, I'd go with 10# fluorocarbon, minimum, and would probably lean towards 12#.

It may seem like I am suggesting more powerful gear, but you're description of the cover present calls for power if you ever want to land one of those 5 lb fish you mentioned.

Personally, I'd be breaking out my hollow bodied frog gear. It sounds like the type of place that could hold some hogs. And Peacocks will hit a hollow bodied frog.

Thanks Alex. Been looking for an excuse to try something of yours for awhile.

David, greatly appreciate the advice on hooks. You are right, I am going through a lot of worms. As far as cover and power needed.....the fact that bass like to fight near the top of the water column has been saving me. I let them fight away from shore and wear down. As I bring them in I try to get them to jump and "tip them over" and skid them across the weeds. On the other hand we do have some small exotic panfish that are much harder to land than the largemouth and peacocks....they head straight for the weeds no matter what.

Keep the ideas coming! I might learn something:) Didn't even know about twist look hooks and fat worms.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Call Mud Hole and ask for Todd and he will set you straight. I would used sj 842.................

Russ
I agree with Robert on the SJ842, the 841 would be a little light and in order to get a good hook set and pull the hook through the worm and then into the bass that extra in the SJ842 would be the ticket. Also the wide gap hook puts the point and barb on the top of the worm and in lieu of pulling it through the worm, its already outside and I feel you hook up ratio will be much better. It is also what I happen to use. A straight hook would be ok for a Berkley 7 in power worm but not the best for what your throwing.

Tom

Russ,

Some good advice above. I would steer away from the 1 power spin jig, especially with the copoly. I built a Batson ISJ 781 as a casting rod using 6 lb copoly several years ago for tossing weightless Zoom flukes. It could cast them well, but it couldn't do a reliable job setting the hook. Something along the lines of a 2 power spin jig, or or ML power bass spinning blank will work. Personally, I ended up settling on my 822.5 for the job. I casts them well enough and has the backbone to lock up and move a fish as long as it isn't buried in the salad.

I know you said you wanted to steer away from the XF action rods, but that's my preference. Bass don't care when you reel down on them. They'll hold on for a second or two with moderate pressure, enough time to set the hook.

With an open hook, you could likely get by with the 1 power spin jig, but 2-5 lb, but it will make getting 2-5 lb bass up and over the weedline pretty interesting. The light braid will make the lighter rod more of a contender as well. In my application, I was using 6 lb copoly, and it didn't work well enough for me. The lower stretch braid, just might make the difference.

If I remember right, you are a fan of the HS9000. Did you give it a try in this application? The extra length might just move enough line to get the job done on a rod with a really light tip.

Joe

I fish for LM and SM Bass in gin clear water up here in Canada. For many years my favourite weightless worm rod was the Batson SJ782. I used the 842 too, but my old Ranger has a short rod locker and rods under seven feet fit better.
I have landed several 5 pound bass with the 782, using baits from 3 to 6 inches on a 3/0 EWG hook on 10 pound Power Pro with no leader.
I don't think fish are line shy. They have tiny brains, however, they will flair away from line drag, or from the flash of sunlight off of plastic lines in clear water.
In the last couple of years, I started using a RX8 822.5 for 4 to 6 inch weightless worms. I have Pike and Musky in my water and the 822.5 is a little more robust, so it has become my new favourite.

Russ Is this lake in FL. ?

Looking at the specs Hydra's 1 power is more like others 2 power. Based on a couple of emails exchanged once upon a time I also suspect they may actually dead lift their rating (unlike most fresh water blanks). So I will trust Alex's advice (and I did say casting distance was important). For other brands I would indeed be looking at a 2 power.

Joe, I mostly use the hs9000 for live bait (and inline meps spinners). With live bait the hook point is in the roof of mouth (contained and not able to snag on weeds) but with worms it is outside the jaw.....so I'm desiring a stouter tip as I'm looking to fish closer to cover with the worms.....and contray to what the web states I find largemouth to fight harder than peacock . The hs9000 has a strong butt....but the tip is limber enough that some fish can get a foot on you when you put the brakes on. It is at its best as an "open water" rod.

Robert, I should seek the vendors' advice more often. I guess part of me is wary when I know someone will profit from advice given. So I value advice here from fellow builders and fishermen. Yes, the lake is in dania, florida.

Thanks again to all of you. I'm late to the braid thing (many salt water boats won't allow it). I know nothing of the various bass fishing techniques. I'm even pretty clueless to the hooks used. Frankly I'm amazed at the shear effort and diversity of products/techniques spent on one particular variety of fish.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Alex's 1 Power spin jig is more like a 2 power elsewhere. It's the 1/16-5/15 oz SJ blanks I would stay away from, and the blanks I've handled from him are pretty stout for their ratings. I should have double checked his specs before posting a blanket statement, sorry Alex.

Thanks for the feedback on the HS9000.

Updates of sort.

Joe, tried the hs9000. Casting distance is easily 2 to 3 times better than inshore medium power (8-17#) st. croix I had been using. Bass weren't biting. Only had one hit from a bluegill....which brings us to the next point.

David, found and tried the twist lock hooks. So much for increased worm life. Normally a reaction on my part to a bluegill biting the worms tail amounts to worm sliding down on hook shank. With twist locks I got back a 1/16" of an inch of my worm.....as in only the part of the worm screwed into the "worm lock" part. Might work well for tougher worms but not the robo brand.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

lol Russ. Yes, that can be a problem when you're getting those pesky bluegill pulling on the tail of your worms. I have the same thing happen from time to time when I'm fishing a Roboworm on a shaky head jig. Personally, I'd put up with the occasional no or half worm coming back, over having to constantly slide the worm back up on the hook.

Honestly, I'd go with the Wide Gap Plus I mentioned in my earlier post. IMO it is the best hook on the market for Texas or Texpose rigging a soft plastic bait. Trokar hooks are the the easiest penetrating hooks on the market, But their point design causes problems when Texpose rigging a bait. Also, I don't find that their points stand up as well.

The Owner triple cutting point, which is kind of a misnomer in that the "cutting" edges, at least in my opinion, aren't really so much about cutting, as they are about reducing the surface area of the hook point. Reduced surface area leads to less friction, and easier penetration.

I'd even give the Owner Rigging hook a look. It has the same triple cutting point, with a slightly smaller wire diameter than the Wide Gap Plus. IMO, other than the Trokar TK190 tube hook (the best tube hook on the planet BTW) none of the other big 4 hook manufacturers make a hook that comes close to Owner.

Just my opinion though.